The Red
by FragilePuzzle
Summary: From growing up back at Wammy's to the SPK, Mello and Near have always held an indecisive relationship...whether it is one of love or hate, no-one but the two of them know. Oneshot, WRITTEN FOR A COMPETITION WITH FORBIDDENSOUL562, M for language and lemon


**Ohhai gaiz. I need to tell you something. THIS FIC WAS WRITTEN FOR A COMPETITION. That's right, you heard me, a COMPETITION. ForbiddenSoul562 and I are competing to see who can write a better fic, and I need you guys to go to the poll on my page and vote. Of course, you can read hers and vote for hers as well, but whichever you chose, don't forget to VOTE! PLEASE. Thank you SO much!**

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_They say freak,_

Near and Mello were always separate from everybody else…they were too high, too untouchable. Nobody else ever came near to their level, no pun intended—they were simply too smart. However…being so isolated, and held so high above everybody else, it was never good for making friends. Near was the lesser of the two—at least Mello had his faithful puppy, Matt. The former had nobody, not a single friend to his name. It was pitiful, in a way. They were looked up to, while also being looked down upon and despised by every other child in the orphanage.

"Freak…" a girl murmured as she walked past Near, her and her friends giggling moments after they thought he was out of earshot. He wasn't. Not to say that he wasn't used to it, of course, but sometimes, he just wished that he could fit in. He wanted to have friends…a small part that was buried deep within him really and truly wanted friends that he could confide in. He couldn't understand why people could trust other people so much, it seemed idiotic to tell your secrets to other people, but at the same time, the notion of being able to do that freely was so _enticing_.

"What a freak…" joked a boy, pointing at Mello as the blonde walked by. "Hey Mello, eating all that chocolate isn't going to make you any smarter than Near—it's just going to make you even fatter and uglier, so you'll lose to him in looks too!"

"Shut up, you fucking gaybo! Why the hell are you checking me out anyways?" Mello growled, snapping another bite off of his chocolate as he made his way down the corridor. The other kids here were such dumbasses…all except Near. Near was the one who he had to keep up to, Near was the one he had to beat so badly. If he couldn't beat Near, he could never be L, he could never claim the title for his very own. That was the one thing he wanted most…to see Near grovel at his feet. He wanted to win, to step on Near, to make him submit _completely_. Fuck friends, he had Matt to get him whatever he needed. Nobody at the whole orphanage was worth a shit to him besides Near.

_When you're singled out,_

Mello made his way towards the open classroom door, going to sit in the back of the classroom as he always did. He saw that Near was already there, sitting in the front of the classroom like the goody-goody he was. The black-clad boy only focused his eyes on the back of his rival's head, as if he could bore holes in it with the intensity of his glare. Mello didn't even notice as Matt sat down next to him, he didn't notice when the redhead waved a hand in front of his face, and he didn't notice when his supposed 'best friend' sat down exasperatedly, wondering why Mello spent so much time obsessing over Near. According to Matt, his…_healthy interest_ in his rival wasn't that, it was just a cover-up for some kind of creepy obsession. Mello just replied with a, 'what the fuck is it to you?'

"Okay class, we will begin now," said the teacher, a prim-looking yet mousy lady whose name Mello found hard to pronounce and not worth remembering. "Please, we will be partnering up—"

There was a collective cheer of joy from the class, and the girls all grouped together, giggling with excitement at the prospect of being able to work with their friends, and all of the boys looked at each other and nodded coolly, trying not to look like they weren't excited about just sitting around and goofing off—everybody except Mello and Near seemed excited. Neither of them cared, as long as they weren't partnered up with each other. Near hated to be partnered together because though he got Mello's attention, he was also the object the blonde used to vent his anger and frustration on to…in other words, he was the blonde's personal punching bag. Mello hated to be partnered with Near because…well…he hated Near.

"However," interrupted the teacher, the room suddenly falling silent and smiles dropping off of faces. "I will assign partners."

There was a collective groan caused by the notion of this, but everybody moved back to their assigned seats nonetheless. The teacher pulled out a class list, beginning to randomly read names off of the large roster, partnering people up into pairs.

"…Matt and Linda…Mello and Near…Colleen and Blithe…"

Mello gaped, eyes absolutely radiating fury now. He had to work with Near…on one of the most important tests of the year…even if he did get one-hundred percent, he wouldn't be able to say he beat Near, because it would be _their_ score, not _his._ However, Near just turned slightly to look at Mello, eyes blank as ever. They were compete opposites—black and white, angel and devil, yin and yang…why were they always stuck together?

_The red, well, it filters…_

After working with Near for a few hours, Mello thought he was going to go absolutely insane. The teachers had made some bogus rule that for test-classes, the period would be three hours long…and Mello still had an hour and fifteen minutes left. They were almost done with their tests, of course, being the smartest kids in the class _and_ working together gave them quite the advantage—however, Mello didn't know if he could make it through the last three problems.

"What is '6x - 8376.735 (2 / 3) + 3yx / 3'?" Near asked Mello, gray eyes signaling to Mello that he already had the answer, but didn't want Mello to feel stupid, so he was giving him the time to figure it out. "If Mello would not mind answering, of course."

"It's…fuck…" Mello mumbled, trying to mentally figure it out. If Near could do it, he could to, there was no way that that idiotic sheep cripple could beat him. He couldn't be smarter…not after all Mello had studied, all of the late nights he had suffered trying to become smarter, better, to _beat_ Near once and for all.

The blonde scratched a few things down onto his answer sheet, blue eyes flickering back up to Near to signal that he was done, and had figured out the problem. Near's large eyes slipped to his paper momentarily, but the smaller boy did not say anything, so Mello assumed that it was right…not that he needed Near's assurance, of course, he already knew that he was right.

After they had finished the last two problems, both boys eyed each other and made their way to the front of the classroom, setting their worksheets on to the teacher's desk. She smiled at them, and just as they were about to go back to their seats, she stopped them.

"Would you boys like to know the scores you received?" she asked kindly, taking their tests and beginning to compare them with her own—which had all of the answers on it, not in her handwriting, of course. She seemed much too stupid to know how to do half of the problems on the test—while that brought Mello a small amount of pride, knowing that he was smarter than an adult; he was still boiling and churning in his own hatred for both Near and himself. He was mad at Near for being better than him, and he was mad at himself for not being able to be better. Sometimes…it seemed as though the only feeling he could actually _feel _was anger.

"Sure, why not?" Mello sighed, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. He knew that he had already gotten one-hundred percent; there was no doubt about that. He and Near both had the same answers, so since little-mister-perfect just couldn't DEAL with the idea of getting less than one-hundred, they had both automatically received a perfect score.

"Near, you got all the questions right," she said, bright smile on her face as she gave him a congratulatory rub of his arm. "And Mello…you have received a ninety-nine. You missed one question out of all one-hundred, so that's still very good too! Good job, both of you, L would be proud! And Mello, the question you missed was '6x - 8376.735 (2 / 3) + 3yx / 3.' You were only off by a single decimal point, though, so don't worry about it!"

Mello turned to Near, anger written all over his face as he observed the boy's monotone expression. He…he had seen what answer he had written, why the hell didn't he tell him it was wrong? It was supposed to be a team project, not an 'oh, haha, I-got-a-better-score-than-you-because-I-let-you-get-a-question-wrong' project!

"Why didn't you tell me that I got it wrong, Near?" asked the blonde, turning to him as his bright blue eyes burned with anger. "Weren't we supposed to be _working together_?"

"I assumed that Mello would not believe my statement about his answer being untrue. He always seems to disregard everything I say, so I did not feel the need to waste my breath," the smaller boy said, no hesitation in his voice whatsoever.

_So lay down, the threat is real…_

"Whatever," Mello hissed, rolling his eyes as he picked up his test and angrily clutched it in his hand. The blonde made his way back to his desk, grabbing his backpack up off of the floor and slinging it over his shoulder, blonde bob cut bouncing with every angry step he took. After making sure that he had everything, Mello walked towards the door and yelled something about going to the library before storming off.

"Mrs. Bristowlian, I believe that I will go to the library as well," said Near, picking up his own white backpack and nodding at the teacher. "Is that acceptable?"

"Of course, Near," smiled the teacher, sipping her coffee. "Just do me a favor and don't go near Mello…he doesn't look very happy, alright? I don't want you getting hurt; you know that Watari would have me scalped."

"Yes, Mrs. Bristowlian," Near repeated robotically, used to agreeing with adults as he always did. "Thank you."

With that, the small boy made his way out of the room, sock-feet padding down the marble halls of Wammy's. He entwined a finger in his hair, yanking on it a bit too hard as he mulled over the prospect of being all alone in the library with Mello. The blonde did have quite violent tendencies, and the only reason that Near was not dead yet was because there was always a teacher, or Matt around, just when he needed them, to break up the fight.

However, before he had too much time to worry about it, Near was in front of the large, oaken doors that lead into the musty-smelling library. Their school didn't even have a librarian, not because they were too poor to afford it, but because the children were expected to be completely self-sufficient from age seven. If you were younger than that, and wanted a book, you'd have to convince one of the older students to help you loan one or shucks to you.

Near tried to make as little noise as possible as he opened the doors to the library, the room dimmed and slightly creepy-looking, what with all of the towering bookshelves and eerie shadows. Just how he liked it.

"Who's fucking there?" asked Mello, walking out from behind a shelf and seeing Near, his eyes narrowing with the sight. "You…did you follow me, or something, little freaky creep?"

"Mello should not flatter himself…" mumbled the other boy, hands clenching around his backpack straps as he began walking past the blonde. "I would not waste my time following him, I believe that I have better things to do than become _obsessed_ with a person…"

Blue eyes narrowed further as Mello realized what Near was implying—trying to say that _he_ was the creepy stalker…the fucking nerve of that little monster! Suddenly, Mello felt a pang of anger begin to swell in his chest, and he wondered why the fuck he could possibly be so damn obsessed with somebody. Near _was_ right, he spent all his time thinking about the little albino brat, thinking about how to beat him, thinking about how he _could_ best him, he analyzed his every detail so he could figure out a way to take advantage of his weaknesses—he knew more about Near than he did about himself. And Near knew it…he knew just how obsessed Mello was with him, because there seemed to be _nothing_ that Near didn't know.

_When his sight goes red again…_

"You little…you fucking prick, how can you even—"

Mello was cut off as Near turned around and looked at him, his gray eyes as intense as they always were, even in the near-dark. The blonde didn't even realize what he was doing as he took a few steps forward and wrapped his hands around Near's frail neck, shoving him up against a nearby bookshelf and causing a few books to rattle out of place and fall to the floor.

"I-I hate you…" the blonde said, blind fury overcoming him as his hands trembled with anger. "Y-you always think you're b-better than me, but I hate you!"

Near opened his mouth to speak, but Mello just gripped his neck tighter, slamming him up against the old bookshelf once again. This time, Near let a choked noise escape his throat, and his thin, pale hands weakly reached up and tried to pry Mello's hands off of his neck. However, considering that the other boy was much stronger than him, he had no luck, and the blonde only continued to choke him and stutter obscenities.

"Why are you so much better than me?" Mello asked desperately, shoving the smaller boy down on to the floor, his white backpack falling off of his back and spilling its contents. "W-why do you have to…you don't even _work_, and you get a better score than me! Why?!"

The smaller boy didn't say anything; he only propped himself up on his elbow raised a hand to twirl his hair gently, gray eyes blinking up at Mello from where he lay on the floor. In his eyes, the less he struggled, the less physical pain he would have to endure, so that was all right with him.

"Why aren't you even _doing_ anything?" asked the blonde, taking a heavy book from the shelf into his hands and changing his stance to look like he was going to smash Near's face in with it, anger overpowering the desperation and hurt in his voice. "Why the fuck don't you get up, or fight back, or run?? You just lay there and fucking twirl your hair, like no matter how hard I hit you, it won't matter! Because you're _Near_ after all, and I'm only Mello! I'm only second-best, so there's _nothing_ I can do to hurt you! Is that it? Answer me, now!!"

It was only at this time did Near realize how mentally unstable Mello was at the moment—his emotions were at least three-point-two times more prominent than usual, and for Mello, that was saying a hell of a lot.

"I hate you!" he yelled, throwing the book on to Near's stomach, eliciting a small gasp as it slammed into his tender flesh. "Why don't you ever react? I'll fucking beat you until you cry, you stupid little twat!"

"Has Mello ever considered…" Near breathed, sitting up slightly. "That physical pain does not affect me…?"

Mello's eyes widened slightly as he looked down at Near, dropping the book he was about to slam into the smaller boy's face. The book, which was entitled, "_Human Frailty: A Look Into The Strengths Of Our Weaknesses_," appropriately enough, fell harmlessly onto the floor, landing right next to Near's head. A moment later, however, what Near was _not_ expecting, was for Mello to drop down and lean over him. One of his black-clad legs rested in between Near's own, and he was holding himself up with that, as well as his two arms, which he had now used to pin Near's arms above his head. As blue met gray, anger sparked in both, Mello angry with Near for still not reacting, despite the intimate closeness of their bodies, and Near angry at Mello for resorting to this—the one thing he had not trained himself against. Human contact.

_Seeing red again…_

"React!" Mello demanded, bringing their faces even closer together, lifting up Near's wrists and slamming them back down against the hardwood floors. "React, goddamn you!"

Near still made no sound, his eyes only crinkling slightly as pain radiated up and down the nerves in his arms and wrists, muscles screaming from both the strong impact and the fact that Mello had slammed them down on an angle. Maybe he had dislocated his wrist, but he didn't have much time to think about it before Mello leaned down even further, their noses practically touching now. Practically touching meaning _much_ too close for Near's personal comfort, so the small boy finally began to struggle slightly, giving Mello exactly what he wanted. The blonde smiled, leaning down so their lips were only millimeters apart, slamming Near's wrists against the hard wood once again, eliciting a sickening crack. Near's mouth opened in a silent cry, giving Mello the perfect opportunity to slip his tongue into the hot orifice, pressing their lips together a moment later.

_Seeing red again._

"M-mmn!" Near protested, struggling underneath the blonde as he began to tease his pale lips further open. "M-Mello, s-sto—"

"Shut up, Near," the blonde whispered, letting go of Near's arms with one hand as he broke away from the kiss, slipping a hand over his mouth.

Near could tell the blonde was getting angrier, so he decided that he would not try and escape until he saw the perfect opportunity, and was positively sure that he would get away. However; not reacting made Mello even angrier than struggling did, and the blonde decided that this game wasn't much fun anymore…but giving up would be like losing…how could he win like this?

"Mello, Near, please report to Roger's office immediately," said a voice over the loudspeaker, causing both eyes to flicker over to the wall where the machine resided.

"Saved by the bell…" whispered Mello, rolling off of Near and bushing himself off as he stood up. "Better get to Roger's office…see you there."

With that, Mello grabbed his backpack off of a table where he had set it earlier, slinging it over his shoulder and walking over to the large doors of the library. He didn't even look back as he yanked a door open, striding out without a single noise, and leaving Near lying on the floor. After a moment of restoring his senses, Near gently pushed himself up off of the floor, wincing as he looked at his swollen wrists. He'd have to get something done about that, that was for sure…he'd probably go see the school nurse or something. Slowly, the small boy began to gather up the contents of his backpack, neatly putting them in and zipping it shut. He stood on shaky legs and made his way over to the library doors, gently easing one open and arriving in the silent corridor.

Near made his way down to his room, taking a moment to stand in front of the door in silence before going inside and setting his backpack at the end of his bed. After deciding on a puzzle—his favorite, the white one with a gothic 'L' in the corner—he left his room and made his way to Roger's office. Mello was already there, standing in the middle of the room, towards the left side of Roger's desk. Near walked over and sat himself down on the floor next to the blonde, dumping his puzzle pieces out into a pile without saying a word.

"Mello…Near…I have some terrible news. L…is dead," was all Roger said, the old man just sitting behind his desk, hands folded on the table.

"W-what was that?" Mello asked suddenly, taking a surprised step forward and pressing the palms of his hands flat against the wooden desk. The old man gave no reaction, so Mello spoke up again, more desperation in his voice this time. "Roger, w-what did you just say?"

"I'm afraid…L is dead."

Mello took in a small breath, as his brain tried to process the news, but just couldn't. Near only sat there, continuing to do his puzzle in silence, accepting the news as it was. If L was dead, there was no use getting upset about it, because there was nothing you could do.

"H-He's dead?" Mello asked again, voice growing as his eyes blankly looked out of the nearby window. "B-But how? Was it Kira? Did Kira kill him? C'mon Roger, you've _got_ to tell me!"

"Probably…" Roger said solemnly, not reacting as much as Mello expected him to.

"But he promised me he'd find Kira and execute him, and now you're telling me…that he's been killed?!" Mello asked, eyes focusing on Roger as he desperately clenched the old man's shoulders in his hands.

Near looked down at his puzzle, gently clicking the last piece into place…it was perfect now, the pure white unblemished, and every piece exactly where it belonged. Now was the perfect time to destroy it. The small boy flipped it upside-down, all of the white pieces clattering and clicking onto the floor, causing both Mello and Roger to look at him. He held the puzzle board over his head for a moment, watching as the few pieces that remained in the frame gently fell out and joined the wreck on the ground. There was silence.

"If you cannot win the game…if you cannot solve the puzzle…you are nothing but a loser," the small boy said, not taking his eyes off of the floor as he set down his puzzle board and began to solve the never-ending toy once again. Taking destruction and turning it to perfection. For the next few moments, Near didn't listen to anything but the rushing of the blood in his head.

_This change, he won't contain, slip away, to clear your mind._

Gray eyes affixed on to the door as he heard it open, seeing Mello walk out. He hadn't heard what he had said before that, he hadn't been paying attention to anything but the fact that he was creating perfection…that was what he liked about puzzles. You could _create_ something so perfect…it was a wonder that more people didn't appreciate the fact that every piece fit _perfectly _in its place, and it wouldn't go anywhere else. If only real life were like that.

A few days later, and it finally hit Near. Mello was gone. He had left the orphanage…it was now his turn to catch Kira. The fate of the world was practically in his hands—no, not even _practically_, it WAS in his hands. If he did not catch Kira, the world would never be the same. If he did not catch Kira, who would? Mello, the one person whom he thought he could depend on, whom he thought would ALWAYS be there…Mello had slipped away.

Mello sat at a street corner, cold rain dripping down his face as he snapped a bite off of his wet chocolate. It was so cold…the black clothes he had worn were soaked all the way through, and the coat he thought would keep him warm had done almost nothing.

"Hey."

Mello quickly looked up, grabbing on to his backpack strap and preparing to run. However, he saw that there was a large man standing in front of him, tattoos and scars decorating his arms…not really somebody Mello would be proud to say he associated himself with.

"You run away from home?" he asked, looking down at the shivering blonde with almost a _motherly_ expression. "You lookin for a place to go?"

"I left to clear my mind…" he said, wrapping his body closer to him. "I don't have any money or anything, so just leave me the fuck alone…"

"You up for doing dirty jobs? Like…illegal kinds of dirty jobs?"

Mello looked up at the man again, eyes widening slightly as he realized he was losing himself. He had been taught justice, and he was seriously contemplating taking whatever the man had to offer.

"What kind of dirty jobs?" he asked, shakily standing up.

"You ever heard of the mafia?"

_When asked, who made it show, the truth…he gives in to most._

Near sat on the floor of the SPK headquarters, twirling a lock of hair around his finger as his grey eyes took in a sight he didn't think he would ever see again. Mello was walking down the corridor outside of the room he was sitting in, gun to Halle's head, urging the woman forward as he smirked up at the security cameras. It was almost as though they had made eye contact…however, even as Mello finally entered the room, and all he could here were the safety clicks of guns, he couldn't bring himself to turn around.

The next minute went by in a blur, he could feel Mello walk over and press the cold barrel of a gun to his head, and then the blonde addressed him directly.

"I want my picture back…" he demanded, twisting the barrel and causing Near to wince slightly. The force that Mello could muster in a single arm was astounding, but then again, that didn't surprise Near much. He had been working in the mafia, and judging by the people you usually find in gangs like that, they appear do more physical work than mental.

Near made no move to move, nor he do so much as turn and face the blonde. Mello couldn't believe that Near still wasn't acknowledging him, even after all of this time, even after seeing how far he'd come…he couldn't even bother to turn around.

"Get out," Mello demanded, turning around to face the SPK agents, gun pressed firmly to Near's temple. "All of you, get out now, or I'll shoot him."

"If you shoot Near, we will have no choice but to shoot you, Mello—"

"Shut up Halle, now get the fuck out!" the blonde yelled, clicking the safety off of his gun. "Do you really want Kira to win? I'll fucking shoot him unless you get the hell out!"

"Please do as he says," Near said quietly, reaching a hand up to twirl a lock of hair. "I do believe that Mello will shoot me if he is pushed to a certain point."

"Damn right I will, now get down into the lobby," he hissed, shooing them out the door. Near nodded once again to acknowledge that they were leaving, turning back to his toy train that had been running circles around him throughout this entire fiasco. He heard the door shut, and he heard as Mello's boots thudded dully against the tile floor, and he heard leather crinkle as the blonde crouched down behind him.

"I see that Mello is no closer to catching Kira than he was when he first left the orphanage," said Near calmly, slight anger bubbling in his chest as he remembered how Mello had unintentionally left him all alone, just as his parents left him on the steps of Wammy's when he was a tender three years old.

_So lay down, the threat is real, when his sight goes red again._

"What?" growled the blonde, his chest tightening as he grabbed Near by the curls and yanked him up. "How the fuck do you get away with saying that? What the hell have you done?"

"I would appreciate it if Mello would not resort to physical violence."

The blonde shoved Near down outside of the protective ring his train tracks had formed around him a moment earlier, the small boy trying to break the fall with his arms as he landed on his stomach and knees. His curls fell in front of his face as he shakily stood up, turning to face Mello with a look of spite gently worming its way onto his normally-blank face.

"You haven't _grown_ much," sneered Mello, slipping off his coat and dropping it on to the floor, exposing to Near the burn scar that snaked its way down half his face and arm. The small boy also saw a few cuts and bruises here and there, as well as a few noticeable scars—as well as Mello's rippling arm muscles, which were much larger than his own.

"May I ask _what_ it is that…_happened_ to Mello's face?" asked Near, brushing off Mello's earlier comment, allowing tiny smirk flickering on to his lips as he realized what a big nerve he had just pinched. He knew how self-conscious about his appearance Mello always was—he was always worried, back at the orphanage, if he was getting fat, or if his hair was out of place. So insulting his appearance was almost as bad as insulting his intelligence. Near wondered how far he could stretch this newfound rubber band before it would just…_snap_.

"You know damn well what happened!" he yelled, running at Near and attempting to punch the smaller boy in the jaw, Near somehow managing to sidestep his incoming fist. "Where the fuck do you get off with in-fucking-sulting me like that? Are you trying to start a fight or something?"

"Perhaps I am."

Mello attempted to grab on to the back of Near's shirt, but the smaller of the two displayed a higher martial arts prowess than Mello remembered him having. He set a hand on the floor, swinging his right leg up and kicking Mello as hard as he could, causing the blonde to stumble over into the tables where the monitors rested. Smirking, the small boy stood back up, brushed his hands off, and looked over at the recovering blonde, lifting a hand to twirl his hair once again.

"You fucker," he hissed, charging at him again, not missing this time. He grabbed on to Near's baggy pajama collar, slamming him up against a pure white wall, causing the small boy to let out a harsh gasp of air. However, gray met blue, and Near gained back more of his motivation, anger rising in him once again.

_So lay down, the threat is real, when his sight goes red again._

"Looks like you're not as weak as you look…" smiled Mello, slamming Near's wrists against the wall, just as he slammed them against the floor back at Wammy's.

"It seems as though Mello is not as strong as he appears," said Near, no hesitation in his voice as he tried his best not to let the pain in his arms manifest itself on his face.

Mello tried to shove Near to the floor, the smaller of the two only stumbling and landing on his knees, trying to get back up a second later. However, Near felt something cold and unfeeling being pressed to the back of his head again, and he realized that Mello must have finally thought to pull his damn gun out of his pants and use it for something.

"No way in hell you could beat me in a fight, Near," whispered Mello, his breath slightly uneven as he tried to draw in more air to his stinging lungs. "Not scrawny little Near…"

Near's brow furrowed as he was pushed completely on to the floor, his hands held behind his back as his face was held to the cold tile. He could see Mello's gun, abandoned on the ground in favor of using both hands to keep the small boy pinned down and helpless. However, what Near was not expecting, was when Mello gently cupped the flesh of his ass in his hand, roughly squeezing it a second later.

"What is Mello doing?" demanded Near, beginning to struggle and having no success. "If he thinks that he can—"

Near was suddenly very cold as Mello yanked his pants around his ankles, exposing his porcelain-white ass in the eerie glow of the monitors. The blonde smirked as he felt Near begin to struggle harder, decidedly more desperate as he felt Mello slip a cold-gloved hand in between his thin legs. He almost considered yelling for help, but he quickly realized that it wouldn't be a good idea, because it would only make Mello angrier, and it was not as if his team members could do anything about it. Mello seemed to back off when he lay still and didn't struggle, so that was what Near decided to do. Even as he felt Mello remove his hand and take the glove off, now roaming his ass with a bare hand, he lay still and tried to pretend that he was somewhere else.

_So lay down, the threat is real, when his sight goes red again._

"L would be a-ashamed," he whispered, hearing the slight whirr of Mello undoing the laces that held his pants up. "Rape is a serious criminal offense."

"Did you miss me, Near?" asked Mello, ignoring the smaller boy's accusations. "When I left...are you upset that I left? Did you want me to stay; did you want to work together, just like Roger said? Hm? We could 'be a team,' right? Work together and beat Kira like that?"

This time, it was Near who made no response, even as he felt Mello position himself so his now-erect cock was fiercely digging into the soft flesh around his virgin entrance. Gray eyes only flinched shut as he realized that yes, that _was_ what he had wanted…why couldn't he have had that? What was so difficult about them working together?

Suddenly, Near felt a searing pain in his backside, and he could hear Mello groan softly as he pushed himself inside of the smaller boy underneath him. A soft scream tore its way past Near's pale lips as Mello shoved himself in further, the blonde now chuckling quietly as he let out another groan.

"Stop!" demanded Near, voice hoarse and shaky as he tried once again to struggle. He could feel as Mello leaned over, pulling his shirt open, not bothering to unbutton it, of course. White plastic gently clicked against the floor as buttons popped off, and Near became even colder as his shirt was nonchalantly thrown to a corner of the room. However, as Mello moved again, Near was distracted from the cold from the burning pain of feeling as though he was being torn in half.

"Not even if you begged," the blonde whispered, his lips millimeters from Near's shoulder.

As Mello began to slam into him, another scream wormed its way past Near's lips, causing Mello to roughly sink his teeth into the soft flesh of the smaller boy's shoulder. Blood trickled down his arm as he let out another loud cry, voice growing weaker with every shriek, until finally, the pain turned to pleasure as Mello rammed into his sweet spot. Even though he could feel blood trickling down the inside of his soft thigh, something about the feeling he got when Mello slammed into that spot begged the blonde to continue, and he just felt like such a damn masochist. He hated this…why the fuck did it feel so good?

_Seeing red again, seeing red again,_

"G-gahh!" he choked out, eyes squeezing shut as he involuntarily pushed back against Mello. As much as he hated this, as much as he knew it was wrong, as much as it _hurt_, something about being here with Mello was so enticing—not 'right' in the least, but if he was falling, he wanted to bring Mello down with him. He could hear the blonde groan above him, laughter escaping his chapped lips as he looked down at the sight beneath him.

"You like this?" Mello asked, slamming into Near's prostate again, eliciting a particularly loud cry.

Near didn't respond, only tightening his muscles viciously around Mello's cock, finally learning the rules of this game. The blonde let out another groan, this one much louder, bringing Near a wave of satisfaction. He wanted to hurt Mello for doing this to him, and making him feel good was one way to let him know that he couldn't be the best at everything—he couldn't have the thing he thought he would for _sure _have over Near—sexual experience. Granted, Near was still just as much of a virgin as he was back at the orphanage, but that didn't mean he couldn't play along.

_Seeing red again, seeing red again,_

"F-fuck…" Mello groaned, feeling Near begin to roll his hips underneath him, urging him in deeper. "B-bitch…g-god…!"

Near smirked slightly, lips parting and eyes rolling back in his head as Mello slammed into him once again. He…wasn't going to…lose…not to Mello. However, he couldn't help the moan that clawed past his lips as Mello slammed into his sweet spot again, the blonde's nails ripping their way down his previously pure-white back. He was bleeding out of too many places to count, now—not serious injuries, but ones he was sure would leave him reminders of this experience. The bite mark that now adorned his shoulder was definitely going to leave a scar, there was no doubt about that…Mello had sunk his teeth so far into the flesh that Near could feel it burning like never before, and each time the blonde thrust forward, he was sure to gently lick the blood that was trickling out of it with his adept pink tongue.

"I-I…"

Near tried to speak, but he was cut off by a throaty moan as Mello slammed into him once again, the small boy attempting to bite his lip and silence his moans.

_Seeing red again, seeing red again, seeing red..._

"Louder!" Mello demanded, wanting to know that Near was feeling it just as much as he was, whether he liked it or not.

The blonde could tell he was about to cum, but he wasn't going to let himself—Near was going to come before him, and that was no questions asked. Mello didn't have to wait long before Near arched his back and cried loudly, a cross between a desperate scream and a moan of pleasure. He didn't want to lose like this, Mello had bested him for the first time in the worst way possible, the blonde had his virginity and his dignity, he had nothing left but the hollow title of L. He was wondering, not for the first time, whether or not the title was really worth its weight.

A moment later, the small boy felt a burning sensation as Mello's hot cum flooded his worn entrance, and he let out one last, tired, defeated cry.

_They say freak..._

"I-I hate you, you little f-freak…" he groaned, steadying his breath for a second before roughly pulling himself out of Near, leaving the smaller boy on the ground. "You really wanted to work together? How the hell would that have worked, y-you know just as well as I do it's not possible!"

"We…could have put aside personal differences…" whispered Near, voice laced with pain as he made no attempt to move. "It is simply…a sacrifice for the greater good. I believe it would have been better if we were a team, and if we were able to work together, just as Roger suggested—"

"Team?" questioned the blonde, weakly pulling his coat on, shoving his gun back down his now-laced pants. "Teams don't fucking exist…it's impossible for them to work, and we've both proved that in one way or another, anyways."

"What…does Mello mean?"

"Remember the quiz the day I left? We were supposed to work in a team, and we didn't, so it's your fucking fault…if it weren't for you, maybe we could have worked together."

Near knew that Mello was only trying to make him wallow in his guilt and self-pity, just as he had done for the past four years, but he wouldn't…not anymore, he refused to. Fuck that. It wasn't his fault…no matter what Mello said; he couldn't have done anything to make him stay. There was silence as Near continued to lie on the floor, completely unmoving, and Mello began to slip on is clothes, now satisfied with this sick game.

"I wonder…which of us will catch Kira first?" Mello asked to nobody in particular, now completely dressed as he looked down at pitiful Near, still lying face down on the floor, covered in blood and cum.

"The race is on…" whispered Near, gently attempting to pull himself up, giving up a moment later.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get there," smiled the blonde, earning nothing but a small, 'right,' from Near.

Even when Mello left, Near could do nothing but pull his pants up to feel a little less naked. His body hurt too much to move, and all he could do was mull over what happened, Kira completely gone from his mind for the first time in who-knows-how-long.

_When you're singled out…_

'_I've always thought about him…' _Mello thought, squeezing his chocolate bar tighter in his hand. _'He only looked at me…when we were fighting…'_

'_I wonder why Mello and I could not work together...' _wondered Near, gently easing himself up off of the floor. _'Was it really…my fault?'_

_The red, it filters through..._

"Near…" hissed Mello, throwing his chocolate bar down into the ground, watching as it landed in a mud puddle.

"Mello…" whispered Near, sitting up and observing the one dice tower in the room that had not been knocked over by the whole fiasco, crawling over to it and eyeing it for a moment before smacking it as hard as he could.

Mello watched as the chocolate bar slowly became soggy, the silver wrapper going from glistening clean to dirt-covered and crinkled in a matter of seconds. Dice hit the ground around the floor where Near was sitting as he watched his once-perfect structure crumble and smack the ground helplessly.

"I hate you," yelled Mello, looking up at the nearby SPK building as though Near could hear him.

"Why do I love you?" wondered Near, sitting amongst the pile of shattered perfection that had both been created and destroyed by his own hand.

* * *

I…cannot listen to "The Red" for a very long, long time now. I listened to it over 150 times while writing this fic. Yeah…anyways, the song is "The Red" by Chevelle, and **PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE.** Thank you SO much~! Ahh…to tell you the truth, the lemon WAS going to be back at Wammy's, but it dawned on me that I write WAY too much shota.

And I do realize that this is probably too long to be a oneshot…XD But whatever.

~FragilePuzzle


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